Modern materials chemistry is wide ranging topic and includes surfaces, interfaces, polymers, nanoparticles and nanoporous materials, self assembly, and biomaterials, with applications relevant to: oil recovery and separation, catalysis, photovoltaics, fuel cells and batteries, crystallization and pharmaceutical formulation, gas sorption, energy, functional materials, biocompatible materials, computer memory, and sensors.
Our common themes are:
Energy Production, Storage and Conversion
- Bio-material dynamics and interfaces (Zhang)
- CO2 capture (Forse)
- Colloidal properties and interfaces (Clarke S, Frenkel)
- Electrochemistry - Charge transport at interfaces (Forse, Grey, Menkin, Reisner, Sprik, Zhang)
- Metal Organic Frameworks for gas sorption and purification (Forse, Wood)
- Synthesis and characterisation of rechargeable batteries, supercapacitors and fuel cells (Forse, Grey, Seán Kavanagh)
- Synthesis and assembly of bioinspired photocatalytic nanomaterials (Reisner)
- Modelling of photovoltaic solar cells and solar fuel photocatalysts (Seán Kavanagh)
- Synthesis and characterisation of organic semiconductors for solar applications (Bronstein)
Surfaces, Crystals and Catalysis
- Crystal engineering and pharmaceutical materials (Jones, Bond)
- Molecular Cages (Nitschke)
- New molecular materials, nanoparticles and solid-state precursors (Wood, Wright, Wheatley)
- Surface properties, catalysis and characterisation methods (Clarke S, Jenkins, Seán Kavanagh)
- Theory of materials properties and design (Alavi, Sprik, Wales, Seán Kavanagh)
Biomaterials
- Biofilms in technology (Zhang)
- Bio-inspired photonic materials (Vignolini)
- Metalloenzymes in technology (Reisner)
- Nanoparticles and drug delivery (Scherman)
- Structure and chemistry of biological and bioinspired materials (Duer)
Sensors and Transducers
- Cantilever sensors (Elliott)
- New non-volatile computer-memory materials (Elliott)
- Protein Film Voltammetry (Reisner, Zhang)
- Synthesis and characterisation of organic qubits for quantum sensing applications (Bronstein)
Self-assembling Functional Materials
- Biomolecular Assembly (Barker, Frenkel, Wales)
- Dynamic Combinatorial Chemistry (Sanders, Nitschke)
- Supramolecular assembly and polymers (Bampos, Nitschke, Scherman, Wales, Wood)
- Synthesis and characterisation of conjugated organic materials for optoelectronic applications – OLEDs, OFETs, Bioelectronics (Bronstein)
